"Dean this is crazy." Sam remarked as they both looked on into a large store front window. Reflections of people walking behind them showed how busy the streets of New York can be on the eve of the New Year. Sam turned to his older brother who was enjoying the whimsical display of a Christmas train chugging its way up Christmas Mountain on a spiral track and then disappearing into a tunnel only to come out again at the bottom to start its journey up once more. "Dean," Sam spoke with authority finally getting his attention, "There is nothing happening here but a bunch of young people getting drunk and waiting for a big ball to drop. We should get out of this town."
Sam didn't care much for the noise or the crowd of New York not even on the Manhattan side. His brother gave a grin. Sam shook his head then a reflection caught his eye. Across the street standing on the corner was Bobby Singer, or was it. Sam continued to watch through the window. At first the reflection of Bobby just stood there, staring at the ground. Then he knelt down and picked something up. With an intense gape Bobby glared at Sam.
"Dean, Dean, Bobby!" Sam spoke with excitement and turned to see Bobby but he was no longer there. Looking back through the store front window, Sam could no longer see Bobby Singer he began to search frantically, watching to see if Bobby had crossed the street and was coming to join them or maybe he would pop over.
Knowing they burned the whiskey flask Dean used to carry had severed any connection that allowed Bobby's spirit to travel with them, Sam started to wonder if Dean was carrying something else that belonged to Bobby and that the two of them were keeping his presence from him.
Giving his brother a strange look, Dean glanced around for a moment. "Sam what are you doing?" Before he could get an answer a young boy about fourteen years of age came rushing through the crowd, knocking into Dean. "Whoa, there, you have demons on your ass?" The boy just looked at Dean then kicked him in the shin and continued to run.
Over the crowd came a cry for help. It was a young woman throwing a hand in the air and screaming "Help! He stole my purse." Dean sprung into action, pushing people out of the way as he chased after the young boy.
Standing alone, Sam felt a bit overwhelmed by the endless stream of people walking by. In a swoosh Castiel was there, "Sam, where is Dean? You were supposed to meet me at the square." The young woman approached with her eight year old daughter, trying to look over the people, hoping Dean would be successful in bringing her purse back. A sparkle caught her eye and she knelt down to pick up a shiny new penny on the ground.
Seeing the penny in her hand Castiel asked her, "Was it heads or tails?" She shrugged her shoulders. "If it was heads you're protected by God, but if it was tails you bought a ticket to hell." Castiel seemed surprised by the woman's gnarly glare. "That is, what is said isn't it?"
Jumping in before Castiel put both wings in his mouth Sam stepped between them. "Ok, Cass, she is worried about her purse. Dean ran off after the boy who stole it…" Sam flinched when Castiel vanished then returned with the young boy and Dean who was leaning against the store front window catching his breathe. Sam was speechless as to how to explain to the woman what just happened.
"Young man, give this woman back her purse." The boy did as Castiel said, "Now walk and don't stop walking until you have been forgiven by God." The boy turned and walked away. Then Castiel approached the woman and tapped her on the forehead and she also just walked away. "She won't remember anything," Castiel looked to Sam and Dean, "now can we save the people?"
Castiel went on to explain, "We need to be here to stop the Doppelgangers from taking over their counter parts. Doppelgangers are the bi-location of a person and under the right conditions these ghostly menaces can become one."
"Back in the seventeenth century a young witch watched her daughter, who had yet to receive her powers, burn at the stake. Then it was her turn and as the flames melted the flesh from her skin she cursed the people for killing her own."
"Using a half penny she divided the souls of those who condemned her and their descendents creating her own curse of Doppelgangers. Centuries later a young witch who was a descendent of a cursed one created a spell and broke that curse, using a copper penny, but in doing so she created a world wide curse on all man kind."
"Now when someone finds a penny on the ground and picks it up they could be drawing their Doppelganger to them if the face is down." Castiel paused a moment. "Dean we have to find the people before the stroke of midnight or else the Doppelgangers will absorb into their counterparts and drive them insane."
When it seemed Castiel was done babbling, Sam finally got a moment to get a word in. "So, Cass your saying the woman who had her purse stolen could be a victim?" Castiel responded with a nod.
"Great". Dean jumped in on the conversation, "How are we supposed to see who has a bad penny?" He started looking on the ground for pennies that may have been dropped. "This place is more crowded then my brief drawer, I feel like I have a mouth full of dirty socks Cass. We need to find another way to stop this, other then asking everyone in New York City to empty out their pockets." His voice got slightly high, "That is millions of people Cass, not counting all the visitors who have come for the party.
Giving a whimsical grin to Dean's dilemma Castiel walked up to the two and placing a hand on each of their heads created a spark that flew from beneath his hands and then he stepped back. "There, I have given you sight." Castiel waited a thank you.
Not impressed Dean brushed his hair back. "Thanks Cass but I could see since birth."
A currier on his bike shouted at them, "Hey, go talk somewhere else you're hogging the sidewalk." Dean turned as if to grab the kid, but didn't.
A spill of laughter slipped from Castiel's lips. "Dean, you never seem to surprise me and you always have a way of making me laugh," Castiel enjoyed Dean's attributes. "I have given you sight to see the Doppelgangers. There are twelve here and others are being tracked by hunters as we speak all over the world."
"Well, we know where most of them are probably heading, so how do we stop a Doppelganger from absorbing?" Dean was ready to get this hunt over and drive as fast and as far as he could out of the city.
"Mirrors," is all Castiel said.
"Mirrors, really mirrors," Dean, felt lost trying to figure how mirrors would do the trick. "Oh, wait. I suppose we need to hold the mirror so the Doppelganger gets caught inside and then we can smash the mirror," Dean tried to add some humor, "and Poof, their toast."
"I wish it were that easy Dean." Castiel spoke to both Sam and Dean. "You need to get the Doppelganger to look into the mirror and it will suck him or her in. Then the Doppelganger's double has to place the penny on the mirror. This will break the bond between the two and the Doppelganger can never possess its counter part." Castiel watched the crowd walk by then finished talking, "That is the lucky side of the penny, never having to worry about your Doppelganger possessing you." Castiel thought for a moment. "Well, most people don't worry about that, but if they did…"
Sam interrupted him, "We get it Cass, now we need to get twelve mirrors and start looking for ghost like figures and follow them until they find their counter part so we can mirror them and then ask the person to empty their pockets of all their pennies." Sam looked at the store window. "Well, let's go buy some mirrors."
"Wait." In a flash Castiel was gone and then back, "Here," he handed Sam a back pack filled with hand mirrors. "It is the least I can do, for now."
Catching sight of the young woman who lost her purse, Dean grabbed a mirror and walked across the street, shuffling through the traffic as he went, leaving Castiel and Sam to talk.
Sam and Castiel shared conversation while watching Dean trying to get the ghostly figure to look into the mirror but he was having a little trouble. The young woman was beginning to freak out over the man acting crazy or doing some sort of new dance behind her.
Dean moved himself in front of the woman and the Doppelganger moved towards her. Dean held the mirror over her shoulder. Then in a swirl of ghostly apparition the Doppelganger was sucked into the mirror, just in time as the woman slapped Dean across the face. Sam held back a snicker while Castiel spoke to him.
The woman seemed to really start to panic and then reluctantly followed Dean across the street. He over heard Castiel and responded, "What are you going to check on Cass. What ever it is I think it can wait. We have a problem." Dean held the mirror up to Sam and Castiel and they could see the Doppelganger screaming, beating on the mirror trying to get out. Dean could hardly hold the mirror still with all the commotion going on inside.
Introducing the young woman Dean went on to explain, "Georgia doesn't have the penny anymore. She hasn't picked up a penny off the ground since," Dean paused, "Well, since forever, until today and it didn't work." He directed his words at Castiel, "So, what do we do without the penny, because this Doppelganger is strong, I almost dropped the mirror several times with her banging on the glass."
Reaching into his pocket Castiel pulled out a handful of shiny new pennies. "Sorry about that Dean, I didn't get to finish before you took off." Castiel handed the young woman who was in speechless shock a penny. "Take this and place it face down on the mirror before it is too late."
With shaking hands and still trying to belief what she saw in the mirror, Georgia took the penny and did as Castiel said. The penny melted across the face of the mirror like butter then burst into flames. A horrifying scream bellowed from the mirror before the glass turned to ash.
Dean tipped the mirror over leaving only the casing. "Well, one down eleven to go." He looked at Georgia, "Don't try to make sense of any of this, it will only drive you crazy and that is what we just saved you from."
With out a thank you Georgia walked away and Castiel disappeared leaving Sam and Dean to deal with eleven more Doppelgangers and only three hours to find them. "Why does he leave at the most inopportune times?" Dean said as he took one last look at the Christmas train. "Sam, this is not going to be a walk down easy street.